


Bless the Broken Road

by BulletStrong



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Based on a True Story, F/F, Internet Meet Cute, Swan Queen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-23 15:18:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7468704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BulletStrong/pseuds/BulletStrong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"She stared at the icon at the left, feeling like something had just shifted but not able to pin down exactly what it was."</p><p>Emma and Regina meet online while in the Swan Queen fandom. Swan Queen AU. Based on a true story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bless the Broken Road

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Emily and Swan](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Emily+and+Swan).



> This is dedicated to my friends Em and Swan, who found each other in my group chat and have started dating. Their relationship is so special. Of course I made it into a Swan Queen AU. Please enjoy and let me know what you think please!

Fandoms could be large, small, almost non-existent, but they were supposed to be places where fans could congregate and be with people like them, or rather that like the same media. 

Emma Swan was a 28 year old living in Boston, a large city, and many would think it'd be easy to find those with common interests. They'd be quite wrong. So Emma turned to the Internet, sticking her toes in some fandoms but never truly getting into it. She was more like the outsider looking in. Until she found the Swan Queen fandom, who were fans of a couple from a fairytale show she had started watching. She found herself on Twitter, in a large fandom with many LGBT fans.

In reality, Emma was brash, strong, not afraid to take charge, but on the Internet she felt like she was walking on eggshells, waiting for her initiation. Her tweets barely got noticed. Her replies to popular fans' tweets only received a like, not a response. When she saw a well known group chatting, she commented that she'd love to be in group like that, only to be met with a polite dismissal. 

"You can totally make a group like ours!" They'd reply, with no intention of being inclusive even though that was one of their motto's. Emma would sigh dejectedly. It felt like high school again. There were some accounts she felt she could speak to but they were few and far between. Fandom was beginning to feel more lonely than her reality. She was rejected at every turn, she was told her humor wasn't popular among other fan girls, and she felt all around ostracized. She contemplating leaving the fandom, but before she made that decision she went to chat with one of the people felt she could talk to. Paris had spoken with her on many occasions. They'd had long conversations about many topics and discussed various subjects intelligently. They hadn't been close, really, but Paris seemed friendly enough and had once stated in an unpopular opinions thread that the fandom was full of cliques. Emma was inclined to agree. 

She slid into her DM's and vented about her experiences, telling the other fan that she felt like bolting and leaving the fandom behind. Paris seemed distraught, telling her that she felt the same way: lonely and left out. The younger fan tried convincing Emma to stay, that together they could change something by speaking up, but Emma had been torn down by the fandom that failed her and was tired of fighting. A girl named Paulina tried making a group chat for those that felt excluded but it fell short for both Emma and Paris. So Emma left. She deleted her account and went back to Instagram, liking pictures of her favorite fairytale couple and not feeling fully happy with her decision. 

A day later Paris found her on Instagram, much to Emma's surprise. Paris was friendly, yes, but Emma expected to be forgotten, especially since Paris and herself hadn't been very close at all. She told Emma that she was inspired to change something because of her. She created a group chat that was truly inclusive. Anyone that wanted in got in. Emma found herself nervous but wanting to give Twitter another go. She created another account and got back into the fandom unnoticed and without using her name. The first thing she did was check Paris' account and what she saw astounded her.

"Anyone want to join a group chat with me? Anyone is welcome. Just like this tweet or quote or RT or comment if you want me to add you!" Paris had tweeted, receiving over sixty five likes. Over sixty five people felt the same way Emma had felt. They felt alone and excluded and were searching for a place to belong. It gave Emma the courage to like the tweet. She then wrote a message to Paris.

"Can I tell you a secret?" It was shady, she knew that, but she needed Paris to know. 

"Of course!"

"Do you know who I am?" Emma typed nervously. Who was she? Why would Paris remember her or even be able to guess it was her?

"Emma?" Okay, maybe the younger fan deserved some credit. She told Paris everything, that she wanted to return to be in the group chat, to give the fandom another try, but only under the condition that no one was to know who she is. Paris agreed to keep her secret. 

She was added to the massive chat with at least forty people not even ten minutes later. She watched as some conversed, waiting for an opening. Emma felt so nervous.

"Hey." A user, Liberty, stated bluntly. There was her opening. She replied with a simple "hi" accompanied by a waving emoji. A few more hellos were exchanged, intermixed with Paris welcoming everyone. She tried again.

"I'm like brand new." She typed, still slightly nervous and unconvinced that this chat would be any different than the one created by Paulina. 

As she was typing her second line, a newcomer spoke up saying hey, but Emma paid it no mind as she finished her sentence. 

"So if you wanna follow, feel free." She paused and watched others introduce themselves before adding. "Not new to the fandom. Took time out but found myself back. I was on Facebook and had Insta." 

Before she could even read back her sentence, the newcomer that had spoken before sent another message. "Hi newbies. I'm Regina. 30 from Storybrooke, Maine."

She stared at the icon at the left, feeling like something had just shifted but not able to pin down exactly what it was. The chat was quick paced, with everyone speaking and adding commentary about their favorite couple. Before things got too deep into the conversation, Emma introduced herself as best as she could without giving her identity away.

"You can call me Swan because I am Swen Without A Name!" The group continued speaking about their excitement at finding new friends, feeling that in reality most of their friends shipped other couples on the show. Emma tried adding to the conversation once more.

"I shipped Swan Queen as soon as they locked eyes!" She added a laughing emoji and sat back, waiting to see the responses.

"I ship happiness. I just want my girls to be happy and I happen to believe that is with each other." Regina stated and Emma couldn't help but read the sentences over and over. Regina seemed so well-spoken and intelligent. Her icon showed a brunette bombshell. She resembled the actress from the show they loved. Emma was screwed, really. 

The chat began speeding up, with everyone adding their thoughts on the show, the characters, and the plot lines. Emma finally felt comfortable enough to speak up, adding little humorous tidbits to the conversation. She watched closely as Regina made comments, her suave and savvy personality shining through clearly. 

The group clicked. Everyone got along well and the conversation flowed. The established members were welcoming to the those added as time went on. Emma and Regina flirted blatantly, leading the other members to jokingly ship them together and encourage a relationship. The members tried to figure out Emma's name and Emma gave hints but her secret was kept safe. Then came Curious Cat, which was an app of sorts that allowed the group chat to ask each other questions, anonymously or not. Regina continuously begged for clues regarding Emma's identity.

"How old are you? And please don't make me guess."

"A lady never reveals her age! I'm old enough to know better, but young enough to do the crazy stuff anyway."

One thing Emma would learn is that Regina was persistent, stubborn, and never backed down from a situation. 

"I think it's fair that I get to at least know the age of my fiancé." Regina joked. "I need to know if I'm robbing the cradle or chasing a cougar. So, what is it, Miss Swan? Is that fair?"

"Hm, age is nothing but a number. I'm legal so no worries there! I can't say more than that publicly. You know I have a need and want to be hidden in plain sight." Emma typed back, a smirk on her face. She could imagine Regina's strong nose crinkling with frustration. 

"The air of mystery is becoming overwhelming!" Regina punctuated that statement with a smirking emoji. "I can't go on not knowing anything so you have to give me something. You can share your secrets with me and me only. After all, I am your true love. I can help to protect your secrets from others."

Emma chuckled at that. Their friend from the group chat, Mal, was almost like the captain of their "ship". She called them true love, soul mates, meant to be. She always responded to their flirting with funny reaction gifs. Emma couldn't help but love that Regina was using one of their "captain's" lines. They tweeted each other incessantly, making light jokes about their chemistry and flirting as if no one was watching.

Finally, Emma found the courage to answer that curious cat message Regina had sent her. 

"I appreciate that. I can imagine your curiosity is at an extreme point right now. There's a reason I keep those details hidden. But I know how curiosity can drive people crazy. So how about we talk in a DM or something and I can satisfy a little bit of your curiosity? You know where to find me."

She always found her, it seemed, and that moment was no different. Regina messaged her and Emma revealed everything. She revealed her name, age, where she was from. She revealed her experiences in the fandom, what drove her to leave, and what inspired her to return. They talked, about things they'd never revealed to others. They let their guard down and spoke from the heart, trusting each other in a way no one else had made them comfortable enough to do. 

It felt natural, as if they'd always known each other. It felt right. It was something neither could simply walk away from. So they talked some more, playing 20 questions and getting to know each other on every level.

"I have a son." Regina revealed. "His name is Henry. I named him after my father. He loved me so much, that I know, even if he didn't protect me from my mother."

"I was in the foster system my entire life. Aged out and never looked back. It's why I run. I'm not used to staying in one place for a long time. I mean, there's nothing anchoring me anywhere."

"I'm the Mayor of a small town but I secretly hate it. I love horses. I feel trapped in that ornate office, but on a horse I feel free."

Emma looked forward to every day that she could wake up and speak to Regina. They asked meaningful, deep questions and had raw conversations, confessing things to one another that had been trapped within them for so long. Regina told Emma about her forced marriage to Leopold White, a CEO of a major corporation, and how his death made her wealthy and financially stable enough to adopt. Emma told Regina about how she wished she had gone to college and how she wanted to leave Boston. Regina sent Emma pictures of Henry and herself. Emma sent Regina pictures of her and her apartment. 

It may have seemed fast to outsiders, but to the two women, it felt right. Finally, Emma worked up the nerve to spill her biggest secret of all.

"Regina, I know we haven't known each other a long time but I feel that we really connected in a way that's unique, or maybe even special. I was just looking for you to be my friend but I don't think the word covers exactly what our connection is. I just wanted you to know that."

"The answer is yes, Emma." Regina grinned, albeit nervously, awaiting a response. Emma paused before typing back. 

"What?"

"The answer is yes so just ask me, Emma." The blonde smiled softly, finally catching on. Regina waited anxiously. 

"Regina, would you please be, and I know you'll say the term is juvenile, my girlfriend?"

"A million times yes, Emma." They both smiled from behind their computer screens.

"I'm going to marry this woman some day." Emma whispered aloud, grinning, feeling lighter than she had ever felt. While Regina ran to tell the group chat the news, Emma reread the entire conversation, unable to hold back her tears and wide smile. Before she could reach the group chat and see what everyone was saying, Emma received a notification. Paris had tweeted her.

"I want to make it clear that I am solely responsible for Emma finding her perspective soulmate Regina. That is all." The blonde chuckled loudly as she clicked 'quote tweet'.

"Paris, do u realise that this Swan walked in to the group chat at 8:15 pm on a Friday & met her queen? Regina and I are SwanQueen!"

And they lived happily ever after (especially when Emma moved to Storybrooke, finally finding her anchor in Regina and Henry).


End file.
